'Comeback' Pacers Upset Thunder in Game 1 With Haliburton Game Winner

Surprise, surprise — the NBA Finals kicked off on Thursday, and the underdog team won.

The Indiana Pacers stunned the best team in the league, the OKC Thunder, led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with a 111-110 victory — sealed in the final second by a clutch shot from Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton.

Indiana was on the ropes all evening, only to pull off a win in signature comeback mode. 

Credit to the NBA: This was a thrilling way to close out an otherwise dull Game 1. 

John Haliburton was visibly delighted after watching his son silence the West's top dog. Tyrese Haliburton’s (14 points) clutch shot elevated the Pacers’ starters, who all scored in double digits, boosting their confidence with a dramatic comeback victory over OKC.

Haliburton is still on a revenge tour after being voted "Most Overrated" by his NBA peers. Now, he’s three wins away from the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

In the final 30 seconds, the Pacers needed a crucial defensive stop and a go-ahead shot. The Thunder had just 0.3 seconds to respond, needing a miracle tip-in, but fell short. 

Indy forced the Thunder into a miss while down by one, and Haliburton raced down the court in roughly 10 seconds, pulled up for a deep two-point shot, and smoothly sank it.

Fans weren’t hyping up the Finals series, but so far, it’s off to a great start with this Game 1 cliff-hanger.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - JUNE 05:  Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers scores a basket with .3 seconds remaining during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game One of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center on June 05, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

The Pacers needed a win to showcase a chance at the heavily favored Thunder. They made good on the upset, but the job's not done.

Indiana had to overcome a double-digit deficit for most of the second half until threes from players like Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner gave the Pacers a fighting chance.

Throughout this postseason, the Pacers have overcome deep deficits and are finally being taken seriously. It took until Game 1 of the Finals, but these Pacers are anything but lucky. 

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, who led the Dallas Mavericks to a championship against the Miami Heat in 2011, has guided Indiana to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances since joining the team in 2021.

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